<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

My original post asked if anyone felt ill, as I did, after eating Deland Bakery items, specifically the millet breads, buns, bagels, etc. I do NOT react to millet in general. I had also noted that I had emailed and called Deland Bakery to inquire about the GF status of their products and whether cross-contamination with non-GF bakery items could be possible. My calls and email were ignored, and now several weeks later, I still have not received a reply.

I've noticed that the Deland items I've bought do not state on the label that they are GF, and that it usually is the retailer that posts a  "Gluten-free" sign on the door of the refrigerated case. The Deland Bakery website has a banner at the top of the page saying "Gluten Free," yet the page includes at least one wheat bread, and I've been told the company produces other wheat-containing products, too.

Of the 29 replies from the list concerning reactions, 20 reported reactions to Deland Bakery products, ranging from abdominal discomfort and generally not feeling well, to extreme nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Several people said their celiac children had the most extreme reactions of illness and vomiting soon after eating Deland bread. The other nine listmates said they and others they know feel fine after eating Deland products.

A number of replies indicated that they also have not been able to get an answer from the company (one listmate said Deland is a bakery, not a company, but it seems to me that any "bakery" that is in the business of producing and shipping thousands of products all over the country is a "company") about possible cross-contamination issues, while others reported very different answers. Here are some of those replies. Part II of the summary will include some of the comments about reactions or the lack thereof after eating Deland breads. Given that there is no definite statement from the company to post on this list, I suggest we all have to determine what is best for us as individuals .......

I contacted them a while back and found out that they are a regular bakery and make a lot of wheat products.  They told me that there is no possibility of cross-contamination because they make their "gluten-free" products in a separate room.  They also told me that they are inspected 3 times a year by the Florida Dept. of Agriculture, implying that they were checking for gluten.  I contacted the agency and eventually was told that they do NOT test for gluten.  Many people on the list have reported reactions to the DeLand's bread and are blaming it on the millet, but I don't think DeLand's has any clue what it would take to produce a truly gluten-free product.
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i had emailed them about contamination issues and they responded, saying that they bake the gluten breads in a separate room with separate utensils.
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When I spoke to them, I was told that all GF baking is done on 
monday.....that is, the last glutenous baking is done on friday, then 
the bakery is cleaner (normal cleaning), then on monday am, things are 
wiped down again, then the non-gluten baking is done.
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Although I live in New Jersey, I have been to the bakery and am confident
from observing their operation and talking to the owner that they are
knowledgeable about and careful about cross-contamination.
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There was discussion about Deland's millet bread at a GSSG meeting at
Gwinnett Medical Center some months ago.  Shelly Case, the well known
dietician from Canada, was the speaker that day and suggested that Deland's
be contacted and asked about the processing, delivery, etc., of the millet
grain.  It took weeks and weeks to get an answer from the owner.  [We] found out that they use the same boards for the wheat breads that they use for the gluten free breads.
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I used to order from Deland all the time, until I went there. That bakery is very small.  It's a tiny store front on the main drag. They cook gluten products as well as GF. I doubt they have a dedicated area for GF products. I literally walked three steps to the GF section to purchase the regular stuff. I asked how they could guarantee the bred was GF the lady paused and replied it's GF.  I never got a straight answer. . I left without buying anything. 
   

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